The American Institute of Architects (AIA) issues new form
documents in ten year cycles, and this June they unveiled a new
version of their 2004 design build form contracts.
Practitioners who use these documents regularly will see some
welcomed improvements as well as some features that are reminiscent
of the old 1997 AIA 191 Part 1/Part 2 form. Industry practitioners
will likely continue to amend the documents to suit their specific
needs, particularly owners.
How is the A141 different from the 2004 version?
When introduced in 2004, the A141 appeared to be patterned after
the A101 Agreement between Owner and Contractor, which includes the
key terms of price, payment and schedule in the A101.
Likewise, the 2004 A141, was relatively skeletal and provided
fill-in boxes for price, payment, retainage, schedule and dispute
resolution terms. The 2004 A141 used Exhibit A to mirror the
A201 General Conditions, and even used the same numbering system
with respect to the
